Welcome screen now leads with the dashboard, not the paywall
Posted by tomspark
SparkBox 1.6.1 is live. I've reworked the first-run experience so you hit the dashboard in one click—activation is now optional and tucked into a collapsible block below. Alongside that, I've stripped out lingering 'Pro' labeling across Settings and error messages; the language now reflects what's actually true: you get the full feature set free for personal use, and activation just unlocks auto-updates and remote access. I've also cleaned up the VPN recommendation surfaces. When you enable Media and haven't picked a VPN yet, you'll see a card explaining why Surfshark works well with this stack (gluetun configs, WireGuard, P2P everywhere), plus the current affiliate deal. Same for install.sh post-install and the dashboard VPN banner—these are the moments when you're actually deciding, so that's where the real information lands. Changes in this release: - Welcome screen defaults to 'Open dashboard' at the top; activation moved to an optional collapsible - 'Pro' and 'Upgrade' copy removed from Settings, tier badge, and error messages - Surfshark recommendation card on Media-enable VPN modal and first-run wizard - VPN CTA now inline on the dashboard when Media is enabled but unconfigured - install.sh post-install message suggests Surfshark or Hostinger with live affiliate URLs - Hostinger affiliate URL unified to hostg.xyz across all surfaces Head to the Updates tab in your dashboard to pull the latest. Found a bug or something feels off? Post it here in d/sparkbox. --- Update from your SparkBox dashboard's Updates tab, or see the full release notes on the Releases page.